admin - 49. page

[admin]

Dear Lynn

Thank you SO much for all the wonderful information you had sent me. I really do appreciate it and will look into all the things you have mentioned. I checked the skin last night and it’s still quite dry. She isn’t worried by it, but I hate that this treatment has done that to her and I’m worried now it might have “burnt” her. So, I really do need to start looking at more natural products I think. There are no signs she has fleas at the moment, so I’m combing her daily just to try to make sure.

Thank you again for all your help with this. Lots of great information for me to look into.

Mary and Mable x

[admin]

Hi Susie

That proposed reduction sounds great in that case!

I agree – Dr Dodds liver cleansing diet would be fine – very good idea. The main thing that aggravates the pancreas is fat – so keep the fat reasonably low for now. Keep protein high, using the meats Jean recommends, to try & retain muscle (but it’s impossible not to lose some muscle). I promise all these horrible side effects do go – it amazes me how quickly they get back to normal when the pred is reduced, actually. I find it a bit sad & shocking looking at Worzel’s photos when he was ill, but I look at him now & you would never know he’d been through this traumatic treatment. All our friends who were very upset with how he looked during his illness are so happy when they see him now. Tell your lovely husband not to worry – Emily will gradually get back to her old self.

Love & hugs as always
Sheena & the boys xxxxx

[admin]

Hi Susie

Let’s see her PCV & CBC results, but that does sound fine to me as long as the last reduction was 2-3 weeks ago – I can’t remember exactly when you last dropped the pred – please remind me! Her pancreas is actually a good reason to reduce the pred – to lessen the risks of pancreatitis of course. So, don’t rush, but get it down safely. Again, a reduction of 25-33% every 2-3 weeks is “conservative” & safe, as long as Emily’s PCV is holding steady in the normal range (i.e. 38 or above).

Love to you & dear Emily
Sheena & the boys xxxxx

[admin]

My lovely non-AIHA dog, Ollie, was black – once! He’s white, grey & a bit of black now. He’s my little grey baby & I love him. He looks 10 years older than Worzel does because of the colouring. Do you know it doesn’t matter what colour, breed, cross-breed or how beautiful looking they are – we love them for what’s in their dear hearts – and those beautiful eyes! How’s he doing now?

How’s the baby dove getting on? Has she hit the bulls-eye yet? You must have loads of patience!

[admin]

Oooooh – he’s gorgeous! Hello handsome Ivan.

[admin]

Hi Susie

Vally is right about the platelets – the danger is when they start to get very high – climbing to 1,000,000 or over is a big red flag for sure. A blood smear will show if Emily is still at risk from clotting issues. Print this item off & take it to the vets with you:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/abnormal-clotting/

So what you need to ask if Emily currently has agglutination, spherocytes, clumping (including platelet clumping) or haemolysis still – I would be extremely surprised after such a long time & a good recovery if she has any risks now, even though she may have to start with – most dogs do – but it’s always good to check. My local vets were told by the specialist to do a smear every time, up until Worzel was off the pred completely – it only takes a few extra minutes – I always preferred to be very cautious. You can catch any potential problems that way.

I would personally like to know if Emily has ever had any of these issues, but if finding out she did have risks in the past would upset you, don’t even bother asking – it’s not worth getting stressed out about at this late stage & I wouldn’t upset you for the world. I’ll leave that up to you.

Can I please remind you to get an amylase test as well – each time you have a check-up – this is because there is always a risk of pancreatitis & Emily has already had a bout of it, poor baby. If her amylase test is high, they should then proceed to do the more detailed tests for pancreatitis as in the following article under the “Pancreatitis Diagnosis” section:

https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/pancreatitis/

I always have an amylase test even now as Worzel still takes 1 x 50mg azathioprine per week – again the specialist said to do this to be on the safe side. I like being on the safe side, as you know! Nipping things in the bud before they become a big problem makes life so much easier in my opinion.

Hope this helps. If there’s anything you’re not sure about or I haven’t explained it properly, just ask.

Love & hugs to both of you
Sheena xxxxx

[admin]

Hi Tamara
Thank you for cheering us all up – like Brigitte, that made me laugh out loud – what a GREEDY boy!!!!!! Seriously, that was incredible grabbing so many at once. No wonder everyone thinks he’s adorable – we all certainly do on here. Glad he’s doing so well too.
Sending you both tons of love & cuddles
Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx

[admin]

Anna – I read your post to Marla & Dewey – just wanted to say I am so very happy to hear Jackie has made a fantastic recovery – wonderful news
Love Sheena, Worzel & Ollie xxxxx